Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Just a few years ago, Miami's Wynwood was a warehouse district that no one ventures out to. Now, it is one of the hottest destinations in Miami filled with street art and some of the city's best breweries and restaurants.
Conceived by community revitalizer, the late Tony Goldman, in 2009, the idea is to bring great street art onto the walls of Wynwood's windowless warehouse buildings, and then develop the surrounding area. Today, Wynwood Walls is a colorful place that pedestrians, both locals and tourists, all enjoy.
I heard about Wynwood from the bartender at The Abbey (the only brewpub in Miami Beach), who told me Wynwood has a good concentration of Miami's craft breweries. If you are a beer lover, skip the beach and head to Wynwood.
I hopped on an Uber there, but stopping off first to get a different kind of brew at Panther Coffee, one of the best-known coffee shops in the city (and probably the best, as well).
Panther roasts their own coffee on site in small batches. Panther has two blends for the espresso, East Coast and West Coast espresso. I opted for the East Coast espresso since the tasting notes were "very creamy, round chocolate .. notes of sweet black cherry". Those all sounded good to me and resulted in a delicious cappuccino.
From there, I walked to J. Wakefield Brewing. I fell in love with it as soon as I got to the parking lot. Darth Vader wall!

Since I was wandering around Miami alone, I toasted this Storm Trooper instead.
Really, though, J. Wakefield had the most interesting and eclectic offerings of the breweries I visited that day. Their flagship beers consisted of IPA, Berliner Weisse, English Smoked Porter, and a Hefeweizen, but they also had some seasonal specials that included a Gose, a Flanders ale, and a sour Berliner Weisse called Street Fruit which I loved. Try it alongside the flagship Stush berliner
J. Wakefield is the brewery to go if you're into sours and unique, experimental brews. Or if you're a Star Wars lover.

There were plenty of street art to take in along the walk to the next brewery. More Star Wars!
I next stopped at Concrete Beach Brewery, which has a nice open-air seating area and a big patio seating area, as well. This brewery is a great place to hang out with a big group.
Concrete Beach Brewery also had a nice selection of beers you can sample. The passionfruit wheat ale, Tropic of Passion, is a crowd pleaser! The beers here are perfect for chilling on the patio in the Miami heat.
My last stop was at Wynwood Brewing, which is apparently Miami's first craft production brewery.
Of course, the small tap room is also filled with art. Perhaps the vibe gives you an idea - I like that Wynwood has more dark and strong beer offerings than the others, from the Pop's Porter (robust porter) to the seasonal releases that may include a nitro stout, a Belgian style ale, alongside their special Lupulado series brewed with fresh wet hops.

You can't go wrong visiting any of the breweries in Wynwood. Each has their own specialties and vibes. Better yet, just visit all three like I did! If you still need more beer after, stop by the taproom an bottle shop, Box Elder Craft Beer Market.